As PA Coronavirus Cases Rise, Officials Plan Targeted Mitigation
HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania officials have no plans to dial back the state's broader reopening strategy, despite an uptick of coronavirus cases in some regions, officials said during a Monday news conference.
Speaking during a news conference at UPMC Pinnacle Community Osteopathic Hospital in Harrisburg, Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Secretary Rachel Levine fielded numerous questions about a rise in new COVID-19 cases that have caused officials in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to adjust their reopening strategies.
An alarming spike in coronavirus cases has prompted Allegheny County officials to ban on-site alcohol consumption at bars and restaurants. The prohibition goes into effect Tuesday at 5 p.m. The ban came after the county health department reported 90 new coronavirus cases on Saturday and 96 on Sunday.
RELATED: Coronavirus Case Surge Continues In Allegheny County
And in Philadelphia, officials late last week said daily case counts are going back up after declining in the recent weeks. Activities planned to resume July 3 in the city may be delayed due to target figures not being met, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said.
Levine said despite the rise in reported cases, Pennsylvania's hospitalization rate is declining.
On Monday, 492 additional positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in Pennsylvania, bringing the statewide total to 85,988. There are 6,614 total deaths.
The rise in reported cases in some instances is due to increased testing, Levine said. Pennsylvania is currently testing up to 19,000 people daily, Wolf noted.
"We are picking up people with very mild symptoms or virtually no symptoms," Levine said.
Levine said officials are closely monitoring the positivity rate of the tests that are completed. "When we see that go up, then we are seeing more cases," she said.
That's what caused officials in Allegheny County to restrict alcohol sales. After reviewing local data, officials there noted more young people were getting infected. Many of them had not been practicing social distancing, not wearing masks, and had spent time out in bars, Levine said.
After a lot of consideration, the county decided there would be no alcohol served in restaurants and bars. It was a decision state officials strongly supported, Levine said.
But Levine said the state has no plans to revert counties back to the yellow phase of coronavirus mitigation at this time. She said, rather, Pennsylvania will look towards a "very targeted mitigation" strategy.
Gov. Tom Wolf, speaking alongside Levine, said he is not considering a statewide ban on alcohol in bars. "We know more now," Wolf said. "We don't need to do the broad draconian things we did three months ago."
The developments come as all but one Pennsylvania county has moved into the green phase of coronavirus mitigation. The last and final county — Lebanon — is slated to go into the green phase on Friday. Philadelphia, which met the state's benchmarks for the green phase, is continuing to limit activities and is proceeding with its own reopening strategy.
In the green phase, bars and restaurants can reopen their indoor seating with limited capacity and several guidelines in place.
Wolf, during the Monday news conference, said he does not believe sweeping closures are currently the best strategy as the pandemic wears on. "We can do things with surgical precision that we couldn't do three months ago," the governor said.
"What works in Allegheny County is not necessarily going to work in Tioga County," Wolf said, adding, "closing bars is more appropriate at the county level."
The developments come as most states across the country report increasing numbers of coronavirus cases. Connecticut and Rhode Island are the only two states who have experienced a decline in new cases compared to last week, CNN reported.
The situation is becoming increasingly dire in Florida, where a record-breaking 9,585 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday.
In some cases, governments are pausing their reopening plans. On Friday, Texas and Arizona shut down inside seating in bars, and Florida has banned alcohol consumption inside bars and restaurants.
This article originally appeared on the Newtown Patch
